TerraCooking from the Heart of Napa Valley

by Hiro Sone & Lissa Doumani

Just over a decade ago, Spago-trained chefs Hiro Sone and Lissa Doumani opened their award-winning Napa Valley restaurant, Terra, in a century-old fieldstone foundry in St. Helena. Their dream of running a world-class restaurant became a reality as word quickly spread about the duo's extraordinary cooking and hospitality. Now, along with the French Laundry, the venerable Terra is a cornerstone of the Napa Valley food scene, and one of its quintessential dining experiences.

In Terra, over 100 recipes from the restaurant's standing and seasonal menus showcase the chefs' sophisticated, yet eminently playful and deeply personal cuisine. Sone and Doumani provide readers with a wealth of insight into the ingredients, preparations, and techniques that shape their cooking philosophy and menus, giving readers guidance-and inspiration-to execute these dishes at home.

Hiro Sone is a Japanese-born, French-trained chef who studied under Paul Bocuse, Joel Robuchon, and Wolfgang Puck, who selected Hiro to open the Tokyo Spago. Hiro Sone web site: http://www.terrarestaurant.com

Lissa Doumani is a pastry chef who apprenticed under Nancy Silverton at Spago, and went on to become pastry chef at Roy Yamaguchi's Los Angeles restaurant. In 1988, Hiro and Lissa settled in Napa Valley and opened Terra.